Eternal Doldrum
by fairybabe202
Summary: You know what happened in Hair less the Musical: Skull Boy realizes his friends are his family and comes home, right? Well, what would happen if he didn't come home? What if he stayed with the band? And what if Ruby Gloom failed to cheer up and fell ill because of it?
1. Chapter 1

"We're going to miss you so much, Skull Boy," Iris sobbed, wiping a tear from her single eye. Skull Boy frowned. He patted her back with his boned hand, "I'll miss you too, Iris," he insisted, "I'll miss you all,"

Everyone was so devastated at his sudden departure. The most distressed was Ruby Gloom. She hung back from the crowd, staring at the darkened, unkempt lawn. She retained her head to tilt downward, afraid the look in her eyes would give away her sadness. After all, she was the happy one.

A bell rang from far away, announcing the arrival of the trolley.

"Please don't go, Skull Boy," Len begged, strumming a beat on the guitar he shared with his twin. Skull Boy smiled sheepishly and opened his arms to hug them as a group. All except Ruby. He glanced up at her through the sea of heads and shoulders. When they let go of him, he loomed near her, slanting his head to the side, "Ruby?"

Ruby took a deep breath and gazed up, planting a fake smile on her lips. He smiled with her, "You okay?"

Her smile widened. She couldn't help it. She was always happy around him, even when he was leaving, "Yeah," she answered, "I'm okay,"

"Skull Boy," Misery said, "Please don't go. What will we do without you?"

"Guys, we need to let him go," Ruby insisted, "If he wants to go, if it makes him happy, who are we to stop him?"

The trolley rolled up and chimed once more. The skeleton hugged each one of them individually, saving Ruby for last. When he embraced her, he rested his chin on the top of her forehead and rubbed her back. She bit her lip to keep from crying. He let go of her reluctantly, giving her a last smile before getting onto the trolley. Hanging from the stairway, he looked back at her, "Hey, Ruby?"

She glanced at him, grinning, "Yes?"

"I'm on my way," he sang, "I'm going to find where I belong," then he hopped on the trolley and it commenced to depart. He stood at the very back, waving at them until he had ridden out of sight.

"You sure are, Skull Boy," she whispered to herself, "You sure are,"

"Find where he belongs," Frank scoffed, "What does he mean 'find where he belongs'? He belongs here with us!"

"How can we live without him?" Poe questioned in his usual dramatic voice.

"We're going to die!" Misery screeched, her eyes widening in panic.

"No we're not," Ruby persevered, "We'll be fine without him guys. Really, we will. You'll see,"

There was no answer to her statement. She looked behind her, finding that her friends had already started back for the mansion. Now that she was alone, she let her tears flow freely, sliding to knees. Doom Kitty's ears drooped and she curled up in Ruby's lap, rubbing her head against her master's chin. Ruby sniffed and stroked Doom's back.

"We'll be okay," she wept, forcing a grin on her face, "He's off to find out who he is. It's what's best for him. We need to let Skull Boy do what he needs to do. And . . . and I'm sure he'll come back, if he really wants too. He will come back, won't he Doom?"

Doom shrugged. It was hard to say at this moment.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, you guys, look at the bright side!"

The members of the house were seated at the dining table for breakfast a week after Skull Boy had left, still in their glum mood. They scraped food around their plates, failing to eat a bite. Ruby chewed on the inside of her cheek in frustration. She'd been trying to get them cheered up all week. It'd never taken her this long to do so. At most it took her two days. She drummed her long, slender fingers on the wooden table, studying the faces of each person. She'd tried reminiscing, cooking and baking, a mini vacation, and multiple parties. Nothing. Not a single positive reaction. Would things ever get back to normal?

"Aw, come on people, you know Skull Boy wouldn't want us to be in this rut. What will it take to cheer us up?" she asked aloud.

"Nothing," Len replied, "Nothing will cheer us up.

"I'm never cheerful," Misery noted.

"Guys, please, this is insane!" Ruby cried, standing up out of her chair, "He hasn't left forever! He'll be back! I know he will!"

"How can you be sure, Ruby?" Scaredy Bat wondered in his Indian accent.

"Of course he'll come back. This is his home. We have to look on the bright side of things," Ruby repeated.

"The bright side, the bright side, the bright side," Frank grumbled, "When are you going to realize there is no bright side this time?"

"There's always a bright side, or a light side, or a not-so-very-light-side to everything. We just have to find it. I know that if we stick together we can get out of this doldrums and be back to normal in no time,"

Iris was glaring at the table, her hands over her ears and her jaw clenched. She'd had enough. Ruby clearly wasn't going to stop. There was just no joyfulness this time. She finally stood up and slammed her fists on the table, "Enough, Ruby!" she screamed, "There is no bright side this time, there is no silver lining, there is no cheering up, there is no anything! Enough, enough, enough!"

There was silence as Ruby gazed at her best friend, her mouth hanging open. She tried to say something back, something positive, like, "Don't be silly," or anything along those lines. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. She just couldn't find a bit to say. Because the Cyclopes was right. There was no bright side to their friend being gone.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what do you say, SB?" Skele-T inquired the young skeleton, "Wanna stay for perm?"

Skull Boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Was he really that good that they wanted him full time? He couldn't rhyme the way they did and wasn't sure he could comply with their style, either. He way of performing, according to Skele-T, was so amazing that it didn't even matter. Maybe he came from a long line of great musicians?

"Lend me an ear, kid. Ya got the goods. Ya don't wanna waste it, and I'd hate to see ya do that," the jazzy skeleton confirmed, "Ya stick with us, and one day we'll make it as the big cheese. Wada ya say?"

Skull Boy nodded, seeming to get a grasp on the slang. He should go for this. He was so close to finding out who he was. That was the reason he came on tour with the band, right?

"So?"

Skull Boy smiled, "I'll do it,"

"Swell! Let's get this place hoppin' then!" Skele-T exalted, tapping his cane in a rhythmic beat on the concrete floor, "Ya won't be in the band just yet. We'll lay one down and see how ya dish it out. But ya hit all six like ya did on the street, and yawl be the big cheese before you know it!"

"Sweet, Skele-T," Skull Boy acknowledged, his toothy grin even wider than ever before, "So when's my first set?"

"Tonight. Here at ten. Be here to lay a set up skit, got it kid?"

"Lay a . . . what?"

Skele-T rolled his eyes, "Be here to warm up,"

"Got it. See you then, Skele-T!" Skull Boy shouted. He waved at his mentor before exiting the building with a skip in his step, chanting under his breath, "I may not be a Skele-Tune, but I am a skeleton. I may not be a Skele-Tune, but I am a skeleton,"

He couldn't believe it! He couldn't believe his luck!

He passed a small gift shop as he strolled down the streets, whistling a tune and snapping his digits. He glanced at a rack full of post cards and smiled to himself. He should really send one to Ruby, tell her all the exciting things happening to him.

When the thought occurred to him, his smile faded and he slouched. He missed her. He missed everyone. Every day since he left, he constantly wondered if she was okay and thinking of him. If they were all okay. He knew how sad they were when he left.

Skull Boy went to the rack and turned it, examining all the different pictures. He chose one of the club he'd be performing at later that night and purchased it. The male skeleton traveled through town, having nowhere to go. He came across a gloomy park on Main Street. Small children climbed on the forts and jungle gyms while their mothers watched them. Homeless saps lay under trees with their hats pulled down over their eyes. Venders pushed their carts along the sidewalks, calling out deals and prices. With time to kill before his gig, Skull Boy sank down on a black wooden bench and pulled the post card and a pen from a pocket in his duster. He rested the card on his knee while he wrote:

_Dear Ruby,_

_It's great here! Now I'm sure that I've come from a long line of musical performers. Skele-T says that I've got the moves, the looks, and the voice to become the "big cheese." He says he'll try me out on stage and if I'm a good crowd pleaser he'll hire me undyingly! I'm so nervous, but excited at the same time. I wish you were here with me. I could really use your positive attitude._

_I miss you all so much, but the sights and sounds here are truly amazing. I'm not sure if I ever want to leave! But if I'm going to be a famous entertainer, I'll have to get used to traveling, won't I?_

The storm clouds were beginning to drift away, revealing the bright moon as it rose to its place in the sky. Skull Boy looked around for a clock, finding an hourglass on the clock tower. 9:30. He was going to be late! It took him thirty minutes to get here.

He finished his post card with the following:

_Oops, I've got to go! My set's in thirty minutes. Write you again later!_

He smiled; that should do it! Pushing the card back in his pocket, he stood and rushed into the streets.

"Um, excuse me! Uh, pardon me. Sorry. Excuse me! Don't mind me, just trying to get through here! Sorry!"

A crowd had built in front of the club he was supposed to perform at. He got a bit more anxious, seeing all these people. How was he supposed to dance in front of them? If only Ruby were here . . .

He finally pushed through the throng to the entrance of the club. However, he hadn't gotten past the bouncer yet.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute buddy. You can't go in there," a large troll with pale green, wrinkled skin grabbed his shoulder. Skull Boy tried to push past him, but the move resulted in his arm popping off.

"Hey, give it back!" he shouted, jumping up to try and grab it, "It's okay, I'm with them!"

"Not buying it," the troll scowled, holding boney arm just above his reach.

"But I am! Honest! Cut it out! Give me my arm back!"

Skele-T's flashy voice interrupted the tussle, "Hey, he's cool,"

The skeleton came into view, snapping a tune. The troll nodded sullenly and stepped aside to let Skull Boy in, dropping his arm to the ground. Skull Boy retrieved it, grumbling angrily as he clicked it back into place.

"What did I tell you, boy? What did I tell you? I told you to be here at 9:30!" Skele-T growled.

His jaw dropped in confusion, "No, you told me to be here at ten!"

"No, I told you 9:30!"

"Did not!"

"Didn't I? Oh. Well I meant 9:30. No time for foolin' around now. We have to go see a man about a dog," Skele-T grabbed Skull Boy's arm and dragged him off. Skull boy raised an eyebrow, looking even more bewildered. Skele-T sighed, "We gotta go!"

Skull Boy gulped, feeling a sheet of sweat on his boned forehead. Skele-T led the fellow up onto the stage, where the other members of the Skele-Tunes were tuning their instruments. The audience sat at tables or the bar with drinks, or on the dance floor dancing to a mix tape. Skull Boy wiped his forehead and took deep, calming breaths.

"But Skele-T, what do I sing? What do I do?" he inquired.

"Lay down that funky beat you done put on the street, SB! Dance to the jive in your heart and you'll be swell. Sing somethin' that you dig,"

He raised his eyebrow, confused once more. Skele-T rolled his eyes and huffed, "Dance the rhythm in your heart boy! Sing something you like!"

Dance to the rhythm in his heart? Was he kidding? His neurosurgical heart was beating so fast he couldn't even make out a rhythmic beat!

But it was too late. Too soon it was time to go. The crowd cheered when they appeared on stage. A spot light was put upon him. He held his hand up to shield his bright green eyes. They were all staring at him now. He laughed nervously and waved feebly. Swallowing again, he looked over at the band for support.

"So, SB, what ya got? We gotta shake a leg," Skele-T asked impatiently.

"I'm brain dead," he confessed, "I can't think up a beat,"

"Don't bite that. We'll think one up for ya. Ya just do the lyrics,"

"What lyrics?"

With no warning, the band struck up a tune. Immediately Skull Boy was reminded of a string of notes Ruby had played for him once on her piano. He looked back at his mentor with a grin. He knew exactly what would get his creative juices flowing. He turned his back to them, the beat wrapping around his brain. He tapped it with his foot, finding it easy to come up with libretto now. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby . . .

This song would be for Ruby, he decided, as he picked up the microphone.

Skull Boy left the club after his set, hands in the pockets of his duster, sunglasses propped up on his nose, and hat atop his head. The lanes of the city were empty and hushed, the street lamps flickering occasionally and a slight wind blowing litter a few inches at a time. All very well. He needed some quiet time.

Lucky he was. Lucky, lucky, lucky! Skull Boy had made it through the entire gig without choking once. He did covers of songs he liked most of the time, and a few other times he just made up the lyrics that created new songs. On those times Skele-T knew exactly what to play to get him going. He was glad to have such a stimulating, eccentric friend.

He looked up into the sky, twinkling with stars. The moon smiled down on him and he smiled back. He wondered if Ruby was looking at the moon too . . .

Ruby! A strike of panic shot through his heart. Skull Boy patted his pockets down and his emotion was soon replaced with relief when he found the post card. He read it over and his grin tilted downward. He forgot to close it. Looking around, he found a blue mailbox and approached it. Taking the ball point pen from another pocket, he scrawled the conclusion:

_Forever yours,_

_Skull Boy_

And he slipped the card into the mailbox.


	4. Chapter 4

It was no use. There was nothing Ruby could do to cheer them up. Around this time everything would be back to normal. But this wasn't a normal situation. For one thing, the best person that once lived in this Victorian mansion had disappeared on his own accord. No one could imagine life without him. And two, in the circumstances that Ruby had to get creative with having a fun time she wasn't overwhelmed by any kind of emotion whatsoever.

Everyone had gone off to their rooms to sulk, including Ruby. However, she pushed the sad feeling to the back of her mind and concentrated on ways to cheer her friends up. Ruby paced back and forth in front of the window, her dark eyes watching her feet move and her arms behind her back. The face of her crush kept on popping in her head, making it even harder for her to come up for a solution to get them out of this rut. She shook her head clear, but it failed. His sharp white skull, his sparkling green eyes, his charming smile . . . they had eternally imprinted in her mind. The red headed girl sighed and leaned against the glass, rubbing the back of her neck. Oh Skull Boy . . .

Doom Kitty trotted into the room with a card in her mouth. She pawed at Ruby's leg until she glanced down, "What's that, Doom?" she stretched down to take the card from her black cat's little mouth. Ruby read the address and her expression brightened considerably, "It's from Skull Boy!"

The sugar skull female flipped the post card over and read it. But the more she did, her smile faded and her mood dampened once more. Phrases such as, _"Skele-T says I've got the moves, the looks, and the voice to become the 'big cheese'"_ _". . . If I'm a good crowd pleaser he'll hire me permanently!" "I wish you were here with me" "I'm not sure I ever want to leave!"_ and _"Forever yours, Skull Boy,"_ stood out particularly to her.

"So, he likes it there," she whispered. At that exact moment, she felt her heart shatter. Never mind he said, _"I wish you were here with me,"_ and _"Forever yours."_ He liked it there. He had fans and he was planning on being a permanent member of the band. He wouldn't be coming back.

Ruby felt the corners of her eyes and her nostrils sting with devastation. Slowly, she ripped the card into tiny pieces and left it in a pile on the stilted pink floor.

"Of course they would like him," she whispered, sinking to her knees, turning the ripped pieces over and over, "He's handsome. He's a wonderful dancer. And his voice . . ." she groaned, "That's out of the question," she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her emotions were astray, strained, and frayed. She could only identify two feelings clearly: defeat and betrayal.

Doom advanced on her carefully, meowing quietly. Ruby looked up at her as a single tear leaked from her red brown eyes. She blinked it back and sighed, shaking her head, "This is it, Doom," she whispered. Doom tilted her head to the side, forming her tail into a question mark. Ruby laughed and continued with a pain filled voice, "I can't do this anymore," she said, "I don't give up this easily, but . . ." she ran a hand through her bright red hair, "I just can't . . ." she tried to find the words that wouldn't come so easily to her. Another tear rolled over her ivory skin, "No one will cheer up. A-And no matter what I try . . ." she had begun to stutter, "I c-can't make them happy again. I'm b-basically an-n-noying them. And . . . and he's not c-coming back, D-Doom. Skull Boy i-isn't coming back . . ."

She cut herself off, losing her ability to talk. Her throat was too blocked for speech. She considered this to be good. If she did have her voice, she might as well have screamed. Ruby kept shaking her head absentmindedly. She was out of steam. She was done. Finished. She accepted defeat.

Doom slumped and her ears drooped as she watched the girl force herself to stumble back to her feet and numbly shuffle to her bed. Only bothering to shred her shoes, leaving on her black dress and her red and yellow stockings, she pulled the sheet over her and closed her eyes, burying her face in the fluffy down pillows and letting the tears flow freely.

She wasn't planning on getting up for a long, long time.


	5. Chapter 5

"Attaboy, that's it!" Skele-T complimented his new young prodigy, "Now you're on the trolley! You're here for perms!"

"Thank you," Skull Boy said, looking down at his shoe clad feet, "You really think so?"

"Do I think so? SB, I know so! You're gonna be the big cheese when I'm through with you!"

It was another few days later and the Skele-Tunes had just finished another gig at the club. Skull Boy had rocked out perfectly, a definite crowd pleaser. He'd already had tons of record deals offered, and perhaps a fan girl of two. Yes, he had the moves, he had the looks, he had the cords; he had the whole package.

"You sure you know your onions?" Skele-T questioned, concerned on the skeleton's choice to turn down the deals and stick with the band, "Ya sure ya ain't gonna take any of those record deals, boy? You could out grow the old Skele-Tunes,"

"I'm sure. I don't know enough of the music business yet. What if I get screwed over?"

"Ah, correct lad. Music reps can be sharks. Well okay then, you can stay with the band,"

"Swell, cool cat," Skull Boy exclaimed in a smooth, low voice, trying to adapt to their slang, "So what's the next step?"

"Put ya up on the level a bit more, and then yawl hit the big shows. The big cheese SB, the big cheese!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Ruby? Ruby? Gosh, where is she?" Iris wondered aloud, her violet eye searching throughout the mansion. The mood in the house had slowly and eventually went back to normal. It was getting a bit easier, living without their boned friend. Somehow they had found a way to get along when they were deprived of the multi-talented skeleton and cheered themselves up. They still missed him desperately, but what was the point in sulking? Like Ruby said: he'll come back.

Iris opened the door to Skull Boy's old room and walked up the steps, hoping to find the red headed girl there. Nothing had changed. No one had dared to move his furniture, his books, or his tools. A layer of thick dust had settled over the vacant scene. Ruby was nowhere in the room. Iris sighed and walked back to the main hall.

"Ruby? Ruby?" she called.

"Iris? Are you looking for Ruby?"

A loud shatter of glass echoed through the vast room, giving away Misery's position on the grand stair case, her blue veil trailing behind her.

"Hey, Misery. Yeah, do you know where she is?" Iris asked.

"No," Misery answered in her monotone voice, "I was looking for her too,"

"Let's find her together," Iris decided, "Where else could she be?"

"Maybe she's doing laundry?" Misery suggested, strolling with the Cyclops down another corridor, dragging her staff behind her, "Should we look in the cellar?"

"Nope, I already checked," Iris told her, "I've also checked Poe's room, Skull Boy's old room, the pond, and the swamp,"

"You know, this is just like the time my Great Great Aunt Maizah disappeared during a big tornado in the jungle," the female banshee remembered.

"What happened to her?" Iris asked, hoping there wasn't a long story afterward.

"No one knows. She's still lost," Misery replied glumly, "But that is beside the point. I've checked the kitchen, the garage, the balconies, and the underground caves,"

"Where haven't we looked?" Iris wondered aloud, opening a few doors on her side and peeing in to see if Ruby was there.

"Um, what about her room?" Misery asked.

Iris stopped in her tracks, thinking of whether she checked her room or not. When she realized that she hadn't, she slapped herself, "God, why didn't I think of this before? Come on, Misery,"

She and Misery made their way to the very top of the mansion and knocked on Ruby's heart shaped door, "Ruby? Ruby, are you there?"

When no one answered, they slid the door open and entered, "Ruby?" Iris called softly. Misery tapped on her shoulder and pointed towards the bed, where a lump the shape of a body was covered in blankets. Iris nodded and tip toed to the other side of the bed. Ruby's head was buried in the pillow. Her red hair was tussled and disheveled. Her skin was even more pale than normal, almost transparent. She had the pink covers pulled up to her chin. Doom sat at her shoulder, pawing at her head and meowing.

Iris knelt down beside her and rubbed Ruby's shoulder, "Ruby, are you alright?"

Ruby didn't acknowledge her presence. Misery joined the Cyclops on the other side of the canopy bed. She poked Ruby's head, "Ruby? Ruby? Wake up, Ruby,"

No response. Misery frowned in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she screamed in her banshee like voice, "RUBY WAKE UP!"

Ruby jumped, her head shooting off her pillow. Doom Kitty yelped, leaping as high as the ceiling and racing out of the room once she landed. Ruby rubbed her eyes and glanced at them. Her face had sunken in, her lips were chapped, and her amber eyes were glazed over. She blinked multiple times, getting her irises use to the sudden brightness before asking in a hoarse voice, "What?"

"You don't look so good, Ruby," Iris noticed uneasily.

Ruby pressed a hand to her mouth and gave a heaving cough, a series of them that just wouldn't stop. Doom Kitty returned to the room, pulling a small wagon that carried a glass of water.

"Thanks, Doom," she croaked, taking the cup into her hands and downing it.

Misery pressed the back of her hand to Ruby's forehead. It felt clammy and hot. She took her hand away, "Ruby, you're burning up," she placed her hand instead on Ruby's arm, surprised to feel that it was ice cold, "But you're also cold as death,"

Ruby set the glass on her bed side table and buried herself back under the covers. Iris settled herself on the edge of her bed and touched her hollowed cheek. She turned her head away, but not before Iris could tell that she had recently been crying.

"Ruby, what's going on with you?" Iris asked.

But Ruby had crawled back to her dark hole and refused to talk. Iris sighed and stroked her chin, contemplating the state of affairs. It was obvious that Ruby was sick. Very very sick. What had brought about this sudden illness?

"Hey Iris, come look at this,"

Iris leveled with Misery, who stared at a pile of torn paper, "I don't want to touch it," she spoke, "I might burn it,"

At that moment, a sudden strike of lightning hit Misery. Her blue skin and clothes became charred and her hair burned. She blinked a few times, and then in a flat voice said, "Ow,"

"Too late for that," Iris muttered, understanding her string of bad luck. She knelt down and picked apart the pieces. It looked like a post card. Iris raised an eyebrow as she saw all the scraps had writing on them .She went to pick up the last piece before she noticed what it said, and when she did she stopped dead.

The scrap said, "Forever yours, Skull Boy,"


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry they're so short, guys ^^' this was acutually meant to be one short story, not a bunch of parts, but my computer doesn't like me so I have to do it in chapters DX DX DX DX sorry again. But thanks for reading!**

**.-+*+-.**

"Thank you! Thank you!" Skull Boy Shouted to the crowd, taking a deep bow, "Good night, everyone!" he left the stage with a cocky smirk on his lips.

"Boy, you getting better and better every day! I can't believe it's only been a few weeks,"

"Has it?" Skull Boy asked, rubbing the back of his head, "It only feels like a few day,"

"Oh it's been more than a few days, SB,"

Skull Boy shrugged. A few days, a few weeks, it didn't matter to him. He was having the time of his life!

The young skeleton left the building, the band following him on his way out. Paparazzi surrounded him, asking questions for their magazines of newspapers and taking his picture. He shielded his eyes from the blinding lights with a pair of sunglasses, plastering a big smile on his lips. Screams filled his ears and he had a ton of autograph books pushed at him. He happily took pens and signed his signature on each that came his way.

They made it to the end of the street, where a car was waiting for them. The Skele-Tunes hopped in and the driver sped away.

"You see how popular you're getting, SB? You the big cheese now!" Skele-T insisted.

Skull Boy smiled but said nothing. A few minutes later the car stopped in front of an empty alleyway. He climbed out, taking the dark path to his new pad so he wouldn't be followed. He shook his head and chuckled, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head.

Could it really have been several weeks? A month of two perhaps? It felt like he only left home yesterday.

Home. Reminded him that he needed to get a hold of Ruby. He hadn't sent her a letter or card in a long time to let them know how he was doing. Not that it really mattered. They most likely have heard about his upcoming fame on the radio or read it in the newspapers. But he still wanted them to head about his success from him. He'd have to go and pick up a post card sometime soon.

The smirk dropped from his face as he entered the five star establishments he was staying at. He felt no better than he had when he left Gloomsville. He did fit in better here. He was adored by monsters and creatures all over the world! The problem was that it wasn't what he wanted. He could live without fame. But what he couldn't live without were his best friends.

A rock star life was a lonely life.


	8. Chapter 8

"I've almost got it put back together," Iris told Misery, placing the last piece of tape over the ripped up card, "And . . . done!"

"What does it say?" Misery asked, leaning to read over her shoulder.

"Dear Ruby," Iris read aloud, "It's great here! Now I'm sure that I've come from a long line of musical performers. Skele-T says that I've got the moves, the looks, and the voice to become the "big cheese." He says he'll try me out on stage and if I'm a good crowd pleaser he'll hire me undyingly! I'm so nervous, but excited at the same time. I wish you were here with me. I could really use your positive attitude. I miss you all so much, but the sights and sounds here are truly amazing. I'm not sure if I ever want to leave! But if I'm going to be a famous entertainer, I'll have to get used to traveling, won't I? Oops, I've got to go! My set's in thirty minutes. Write you again later! Forever yours, Skull Boy,"

"Forever yours? Well, that's sweet of him to say," Misery commented.

"What does he mean 'I'm not sure I ever want to leave'?" Iris barked angrily, rereading the words to herself.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Misery blurted, "He isn't coming back!"

"I've figured out that much. Now why did Ruby tear this up?" Iris wondered aloud, setting the post card back down on her desk.

"More importantly," Misery countered, "How did Ruby get sick?"

"That's a good question too. I think the post card and her illness are connected somehow,"

"Could she be sick because of Skull Boy?"

Iris chuckled and shook her head, "You do know she has a crush on him, right?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Skull Boy," the Cyclops answered. She then gasped and turned toward Misery, "Misery, Ruby has a crush on Skull Boy!"

"Yes, Iris, we know that,"

"No, no, listen! Ruby had a crush on Skull Boy, so when he left, she was the most devastated. She must have torn up the card because he said he didn't want to leave and he was going to be famous,"

"And none of us would cheer up while she was trying to help," Misery added.

"And then I yelled at her," Iris hung her head in guilt, "I don't know what I was thinking. She was just trying to help,"

"So she gave up and became sick because she wouldn't take care of herself,"

"So what should we do?" Misery asked.

Iris began to pace around her circus-like bedroom, gnawing on the inside of her cheek in thought. Misery took a closer look at the post card, careful not to touch it in case it burst into flames or something.

"I could make my four-times-removed Cousin Mabon's Special Illness Soup," Misery suggested, "He gave the recipe to me just before he ate a bowl of it and died,"

"How is that going to help Ruby if it killed your cousin?" Iris questioned, horrified.

"Oh, he didn't die from eating the soup," Misery corrected, "He ate some to cure his cold and he felt so good afterward that he went bungi jumping off a really high cliff,"

Iris raised her eyebrow, confused on how bungi jumping killed her relative. She'd done it billions of times before, and she was still alive.

Misery explained some more, "He went bungi jumping without the equipment,"

"So basically he just jumped off the cliff?"

"Yep,"

Iris continued her pacing, "Do you think maybe if we get Skull Boy back that Ruby would get better?"

Misery shrugged, "Perhaps. Maybe just having him there will bring her out of her, for a better term, depression. After all, she hasn't seen him since he left,"

"None of us have, Misery,"

"Not true," she countered, "We've read about him in the papers and heard his concerts on the radio,"

"Point taken," Iris agreed, "So let's go find Skull Boy then," she motioned for Misery to follow her out of her room.

"Are you sure we shouldn't try my Cousin Mabon's soup?"

"I'm sure," Iris said, "Now, how are we going to get Skull Boy? What if we send him a letter?"

The blue banshee shook her head, "That would take too long. Ruby needs help now,"

"What do we do then?"

"Why don't we just go straight to him and tell him in person?"

"Great idea!" Iris complemented, "We might find out where his next concert is in the paper. I think Poe has today's issue,"

Misery gave a tiny smile in reply.


	9. Chapter 9

"Ready for another show, SB?"

It was the last show on his local tour, and then he would take a contract that a big musical company was offering him and the band. At that point it was all uphill from there. His songs would be recorded to records and he would be played on the radio everywhere. He'd be advertising products, signing even more autographs, be interviewed, and eventually go on world tours. To think that he was the "big cheese" now compared to what he would soon be . . .

"I'm ready, Skele-T," Skull Boy answered in response.

"I'm gonna go warm up the band," Skele-T replied, stepping onto the stage.

A few minutes later, the announcer of the club yelled, "Alright ladies and monsters, put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Skull Boy and the Skele-Tunes,"

It wasn't Skull Boy's idea to put his own name in front of the band's. Skele-T insisted this, and every time someone spoke it he felt a pang of guilt. This, however, was no time to feel guilt. He took a deep breath and shook out his limbs, "Show time,"

"You ready for a good show, ladies and gentlemen?" Skele-T asked as Skull Boy climbed the steps to the stage. The audience went wild at the sight of him, their screams pounding in his ear drums, "Well we got a great show for Y-O-U. Take it away, kid!"

Skull Boy adjusted the collar of his black turtle neck sweater, cleared his throat, and took up the microphone. The band struck up a tune. He waited patiently for the instrumental break to fly away before he sang. When he did, his voice was smooth as honey, deep as an abyss, breath taking as a sunset.

_"I'll never forget_

_The day we met_

_When I saw that fiery red hair_

_And a smile on her face_

_That nothing and no one could ever erase,_

_"I remember that night_

_Her skin so white_

_Amber eyes filled with tears_

_Myself I will never forgive_

_For adding sorrow to the way she lives,_

_"I'm gone_

_And I feel so lost_

_Without you_

_I'm such a fool_

_For ever leaving you_

_I left to find_

_Who I really am_

_But all I learned_

_Was I can't live without you,_

_"I__ left you there_

_Broken hearted_

_But remember, my love_

_I'm always there_

_And I'll never forget you,_

_"I remember those gloomy days_

_The ones I wish I could replay_

_Just you and me_

_On a rainy night_

_My utter paradise,_

_"That all changed_

_When I went away_

_Something I regret today_

_I'm such a fool_

_How could I have done that to you?_

_"I'm gone_

_And I feel so lost_

_Without you_

_I'm such a fool_

_For ever leaving you_

_I left to find_

_Who I really am_

_But all I learned_

_Was I can't live without you,_

_"I left you there_

_Broken hearted_

_But remember, my love_

_I'm always there_

_And I'll never forget you,_

_"I'm gone_

_And I feel so lost_

_Without you_

_I'm such a fool_

_For ever leaving you_

_I left to find_

_Who I really am_

_But all I learned_

_Was I can't live without you,_

_"I left you there_

_Broken hearted_

_But remember, my love_

_I'm always there_

_And I'll never forget you,_

_"I'll never forget you,"_

The crowd simply ate it up, the emotion in the room swelling. For some reason it made Skull Boy angry. This wasn't just some random song with gushy notes and heartfelt lyrics. It was a promise and regret to his best friend.

"Thank you," he said through a tight jaw, "Thank you very much,"

He continued the set with the same luxurious voice, though not as equal in emotion as he did his first song. When he completed the last song, Skull Boy walked to the back stage. A stage hand handed him a towel and a bottle of water. The young skeleton chugged the entire bottle and tossed it in the recycle bin, dabbing his forehead with the white rag.

"Skull Boy!"

"There he is!"

"Hey, let us through! We know the guy personally. He used to live with us,"

Skull Boy froze at the familiar voices and whipped around toward the entrance. The heavy duty bouncer had Misery and Iris thrown over his shoulders, denying them access.

"Hey, hey, put them down!" he ordered, "They're okay, Tino, let them in,"

The bouncer, Tino, nodded and dropped the girls to the floor. They groaned and rubbed various bruising body parts. Skull Boy helped them to their feet, "Iris, Misery, what are you doing here? Oh, I've missed you guys so much!"

"We've missed you, too," Misery agreed, brushing dirt from her blue dress.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked, peering around their shoulders for other visitors, "Where's Ruby?"

Iris rubbed her eye and combed her fingers through her hair, messed up from fighting with the bouncer, "Skull Boy, you need to come back right now,"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's Ruby," Misery answered, "She's sick. She won't talk to anyone, she hasn't eaten in a few months, besides what Doom's forced her to eat, she's dehydrated . . . Skull Boy, we think she might die,"

His heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. Ruby was sick? But how could that be? She hardly ever gets sick. She took such good care of herself. Why would she let herself go?

"We think it might be because you left the mansion," Iris answered his unasked question.

"Why would she get sick because I left? I mean, I know I'm her best friend, but-"

"She has a crush on you!" Misery cried out loud in her howling voice. Then she slapped her hands over her mouth, "Oops,"

Skull Boy stared at her, blinking away his shock. Ruby? Crush on him? Really? A blush crept across his cheeks and he scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Well . . . well . . . uh . . ."

"We'll tell you more later, but you have to come now, Skull Boy," said Iris.

What was he to do? Go and help Ruby? Or stay with the band? Give up on his successful career?

There was no competition. Ruby was more important.

The Skele-Tunes climbed off the stage, "Hey, SB, you lookin' to play the encore?" Skele-T asked.

"Sorry, Skele-T, but I've got to go. Ruby's sick and she needs me,"

"Cool socks? Ah, swell chick. You coming back?"

"I don't think so. I'm sorry,"

"Hey, no problem, kid," the jazzy skeleton said forgivingly, waving the apology away, "You do what you think is right. Go on back to Cool Socks. Tell her I said hi,"

"Will do," and Skull Boy left back to Gloomsville with Iris and Misery.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for reading so far, guys! :D I can't believe how many reviews this story has gotten. And here's me thinking that no one would ever read it. Just wanted to let you guys know that I need your help in the end for the next chapter, k? Enjoy :3**

**.-+*+-.**

Ruby heard voices. Quiet, whispering voices. Someone was in her bedroom. Well, whoever it was, they could go away.

Her throat felt so dry. The muscles in her body felt too stiff to move. Her stomach growled for food. Her breath came in parched and raspy. But she lay there, her head laying back on her pillow, covers tucked under her chin, and eyes closed.

One voice became more clear than the rest. Someone sat at the edge of her bed. She felt boned fingers brush across her forehead and grasp her hand.

"Oh Ruby, how could I have let this happen?

Her heart leapt out of her chest. Skull Boy was back! He was back, he was back, and he was just inches from her.

But her mind made her see reason. Skull Boy hadn't come back. This was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Goof job, imagination. It made his voice pitch perfect and his fingers feel so solid and real.

Skull Boy was never coming back.

**.-+*+-.**

"Come on, Ruby, just eat please," Skull Boy begged, holding a spoon to her mouth. She still lay in bed, unmoving, worse than when Misery and Iris had found her. He could clearly see the outline of her bones within her arms and shoulders, the shade of her skin looked deathly, and her breath came in short and shallow.

Skull Boy had moved back into his old room, thankful that his friends had left his belongings where they were. It had been a week since he returned to the mansion. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Ruby to wake up or eat.

"You'll feel better if you eat something," he pleased. When she failed to acknowledge him, he sighed and wedged the small spoon between her chapped lips. Skull Boy tilted her chin upward and in a few seconds she swallowed. He set the bowl of broth on her bedside table and sat at her side. Doom Kitty lay on the pillow next to her head, pawing at her cheek. His thumb gently lifted her eyelid, finding that her amber eye was glazed over.

"Please wake up, Ruby. I need you to wake up," he whispered.

Finally she stirred. The sick girl licked her severely chafed lips and started on another coughing fit. Skull Boy helped her sit up and patted her back until the coughing subsided. Ruby rubbed her eyes and they fluttered open weakly. Skull Boy nearly died as he saw the emotion that filled them when she saw him: sadness, betrayal, depression.

Suddenly she groaned and sunk back onto the bed, curling into a ball, her muted eyes locked on him, "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"What's wrong, Ruby?" he asked, "Aren't you happy to see me? I'm here to stay,"

"No you aren't,"

"What do you mean?" he was so confused. Was she delusional as well? This was much worse than he thought. Should he take her to the hospital?

Ruby sighed, "You're just a projection of Skull Boy that my imagination intends to satisfy me with," she explained hoarsely, "And sadly it's not working,"

"But I am real, Ruby," he insisted, taking her thin hands in his.

Ruby looked down at his skeletal hands holding hers, and then back into his eyes. His gorgeous, luminescent emerald eyes. Oh how she missed those eyes, "That's something that imaginary Skull Boy would say,"

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Ruby," he apologized, his face falling, "I never should have left. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't leave with Skele-T and the Skele-Tunes. You wouldn't be sick and you'd see that I'm real and here to stay,"

"He'd say that too," she groaned, tears coming to her eyes.

After that the most he got her to do was finish the broth. He departed her room with a tray and an empty bowl, contemplating on how to make Ruby see that he wasn't something of her mind's eye.

**.-+*+-.**

**And this is where you guys come in! How could Skull Boy make Ruby see that he's not imaginary? If you have an idea, leave a review! Thanks! :D :D**


	11. Chapter 11

"She's not getting better," Skull Boy insisted. He sat in Ruby's favorite arm chair by the fire, hugging his knees to his black turtleneck clad chest in supreme worry, "She's getting worse, actually. Nothing I've done is helping her,"

Misery and Iris sat with him by the fire, filled with just as much anxiety and fear for their friend as he was. Misery hung her head, tears running down her cheeks as she sniffled. Iris twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip.

"What do we do now?" Misery asked, "Ruby might die,"

"No she won't, because we aren't going to let her," Iris argued. She stood up and paced back and forth in front of the fire place, "Skull Boy's back. She should be better now. So why isn't she?"

"She doesn't think I'm back," Skull Boy informed, "Ruby thinks that I'm just some hallucination,"

"A hallucination?" Misery asked in a panic, "Someone call a doctor!"

"Should we?"

"No, I think we can take care of her on our own," Iris claimed, "Once she realizes that you aren't a delusion, Skull Boy, then she can get better,"

Skull Boy hung his head. It was all his fault. She was depressed because of him. She fell ill because of him. She thought she was a hallucination because of him. She might die because of him. He might have to attend his best friend's funeral because of him. All because of him. His fault. All his fault. Why did he have to leave? Why did he have to go with the band? Who cared about his ancestry? Ruby was much more important than finding where he came from, right?

"Okay, so she thinks you're never coming back?" Iris questioned.

He nodded miserably.

"If she thinks you're never coming back . . . why don't we show her you're back?"

Skull Boy and Misery looked at each other with quizzical expressions, "What?"

.-+*+-.

"Are you sure about this, Iris?" Misery hissed. They gazed at Ruby's sickly frame from a crack in her door, "I don't think she should be getting out of bed,"

"If we just have Skull Boy walk into her room, then she'll still think he's a hallucination,"

"Well . . . okay then . . ."

Iris breathed deeply and planted an genuine smile on her lips. Pushing over the door, she ran to Ruby's side and shook her shoulder, "Ruby, Ruby, get up! It's Skull Boy!"

Ruby's eyes slowly fluttered open, looking like dull amber gems. She coughed and cleared her throat, "What?"

"It's Skull Boy! He's back!"

The sickly sugar skull girl simply stared at her Cyclops friend with a blank look, "What are you talking about, Iris?"

"Skull Boy came back! He gave up his career because he missed us,"

Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration, taking the statement into consideration. But she shook her head in disbelief, "Skull Boy's a star. He wouldn't give up fame and fortune for us,"

Iris felt her comment stab her heart like a needle. How could Ruby say that? How could she think that he was that conceded?

"Come, on," Iris grabbed Ruby's upper arm and dragged her out of bed. Immediately she stumbled and fell. Her legs were too skinny even to walk on. The poor girl looked anorexic. Misery walked in and helped Iris pull her to her feet. They put one of her arms around each of them and helped her walk to the front of the house.

The double doors were wide open. Skull Boy stood against the entrance way, his bags piled up on the front porch. His heart sank and filled to the brim with guilt at the sight of the happiest girl in the world turned to a skeleton wrapped in skin. But he forced an excited expression on his face.

"Ruby, guess who's back?" he asked rhetorically. Walking up to her, he pulled her into his arms. She didn't hug him back, leaning limply into his touch. He pulled back, resting his hands on her shoulders. She wasn't excited, or happy, or even surprised. The same blank look occupied her face as it did in her room when Iris told her was back.

"Are you okay, Ruby? I'm back! Aren't you excited?"

Her mouth opened slowly, though she didn't speak. It was hard for her to talk anymore. She had no reason to. When she did speak, however, what she said broke his heart.

"You're not back," she whispered, "You're another figment of my imagination. You're never coming back,"


	12. Chapter 12

Feeling hungry for the sixth time that day, Frank and Len made theie way up to the house. They opened the front doorand walked inside. Sitting over by the fire in the blood red, high backed chairs were Iris, Misery, and Skull Boy. Each had a depressing look on his or her face. The sight of the familiar skeleton churned an immediate reaction in the twins.

_"Skull Boy!"_ Len screamed.

_"You're back!"_ Frank yelled.

Skull Boy gave the twins a confused look, "Yeah, I've been home for a week now. Iris and Misery brought me back,"

"Then how come you look so glum?" Len asked, "Aren't you _happy_ to see us? Aren't you happy to be _home_?" Len asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

"Of course I'm happy to see you guys. I'm glum because Ruby's sick and she thinks I'm never coming back." Skull Boy sighed.

"Ruby's sick?" Frank questioned in surprise. He looked over to his brother, "Did you know that?" Len shook his head.

"Ruby's been sick for a month, you guys," Iris claimed.

_"A month?"_

Len rubbed his head and blinked his tired eyes a few times, "How long was that nap?"

"Why don't you guys just give her some soup?" Frank suggested, "That always helps me when I'm sick."

"It's not_ that_ kind of sickness," Iris informed, resting her chin in her pale hands, "That's only part of it. She claimes that Skull Boy is just a figment of her imagination every time she sees him and claims he's never coming back."

_"I keep telling you that we need to call a doctor,"_ Misery told her.

"If worst comes to worst, Misery, _then_ we'll call a doctor, okay?"

"So what do we do to make her better?" Len asked. He and Frank took seats on the hard wood between the two chairs.

"We don't know," Skull Boy said, "Right now we're brainstorming."

The five of them sat in silence, mulling over ideas in their heads. At one point or another someone contributed an idea, only to be shot down. Or countered with a, "Maybe,"

"Are you 100% sure that we don't need a doctor?" Misery begged.

"Ruby always said that problems can be solved at home. I know we can do the same with this one." Iris insisted, trying to hold back a yawn.

"We're never going to come up with anything if we're all tired," Skull Boy noticed, "We should get some sleep,"

That was the one thing the five of them could agree on.

.-~+*+~-.

That night Ruby had nightmares. She couldn't remember the content of them, just that she was terrified.

Skull Boy could hear her screaming all the way from his bedroom. He green eyes snapped open and his surgically-made heart skipped three beats. He immediately jumped from the coffin he slept in and ran to her room. Iris and Misery got to her door the same time he did. The female Cyclopse reached for the door handle. Misery grabbed her wrist and held her back.

_"Wait,"_ she hissed, "This could be an excellent time to get Ruby to think she's not hallucinating,"

Skull Boy nodded and entered her room. Ruby was no longer screaming, but whimpering quite loudly. Doom Kitty meowed over and over, pawing at her cheek, trying to get her to wake up. Skull Boy rushed to her bedside and grabbed her shoulders, gently shaking her.

"Ruby!" he whispered loudly, "Ruby! _Ruby, wake up!_"

Her blood shot eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath. Ruby looked around the room wildly and settled on staring at him. With some difficulty, she sat up and hugged Skull Boy around the chest.

"Oh, Skull Boy, it was so _aweful!_" she cried, tears beginning to spill on his night shirt.

He wasn't sure whether she still thought he was a hallucinaton or that he was real. Either way, he hugged the sugar skull girl to him and rubbed her back in comfort.

"Shh . . . its alright, Ruby, it was just a nightmare,"

"But it was so real,"

"What did you dream about?"

"I'm not even sure. I just know that I was scared of it,"

"It's okay, you're safe now. Nothing will hurt you while I'm here,"

"I'm so glad you're back Skull Boy,"

Skull Boy froze as the sentence sank in. She just said she was glad he's back. Litterally. Like ten seconds ago. Then he felt a sudden relief wash over him. She wasn't hallucinating! He was real to her!

Ruby pulled back to look at him. She wore a small smile on her lips, a shadow of the one once worn by the happiest girl in the world. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

And then . . .

She stopped smiling. He chapped lips fell into a depressing frown. She removed her arms from around his body and sunk back into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Skull Boy became confused. What just happened.

He slid off her bed and onto his knees, facing her. Ruby had tears in her eyes as she tried to blink them away.

"Ruby, what's wrong? What just happened?"

"You're not real,"

"But . . . but I am real, Ruby!"

"No. No you're not,"

And she turned away from him. Skull Boy stayed there for a while, trying to make sense of the current even. A few minutes later he got to his feet and quietly walked out of her room. Iris and Misery were still standing outside the door.

"So?" Misery asked, "What happened?"

"Didn't work," he said flattly, and the young skeleton hobbled grumpily off to his room.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, the brain storming session took place in the kitchen during breakfast. Even though Misery burnt the toast, the jam, the eggs, and . . . well, everything else, no one had much of an appetite. They picked at their plates in silence, each in their own head. Poe fluttered into the room and landed on the top of Misery's chair.

"Good morning, all, what a lovely day," he bellowed, gazing around at his friends. He frowned that none of them replied back in the same cheery fashion, "Well you all seem to be in a bad mood today. Whatever is the matter?"

The old crow then spotted Skull Boy sitting across the way, and he jumped excitedly from his perch, "Egad! Skull Boy! How nice to see you, young man! Are you back for a visit? Why, it's been ages, hasn't it? I've got so many things to tell you!"

Skull Boy raised an eyebrow in confusion and directed his attention to Misery and Iris, "Did you forget to tell everyone that I was coming back?"

Iris shrugged, "I guess so. We were so occupied with Ruby,"

"Ah yes, Ruby Gloom. Where is our delightfully happy girl? Is she still sick?" Poe questioned.

"At least you knew Ruby was sick," Len said guiltily through a mouthful of cereal.

"Yes, Poe, she's still sick," Skull Boy answered in the same shamefaced tone Len had.

"And it's much worse than before," Misery added, "It's even worse than the time I got Thropeititus. And I was in bed for months."

"And she's hallucinating,"

"Hallucinating?" Poe questioned, "What kind of hallucinating?"

"She won't believe that Skull Boy is back. She thinks he's just a figment of her imagination, and we can't get her to think otherwise." Iris informed.

"So now we're all trying to think of a way to help her get better," Frank added.

"Perhaps I might be of assistance?" Poe offered graciously.

"We could use all the help we can get," Skull Boy accepted.

"So far we know that scaring her will put her back into reality for a few seconds," Iris said.

"Oh? How so?"

"She had a nightmare last night and was so scared that she thought Skull Boy was real . . . until she calmed down,"

"Maybe we could scare her again?" Len suggested.

"What, we keep scaring her for the rest of her life so she thinks I'm back?" Skull Boy said angrily, "Sorry, but that's not an option. I won't take part in that,"

"Not for the rest of her life. We just scare her big enough that it will shock her back into reality,"

"And what if that, I dunno, triggers a heart attack or a stroke or seizures?" Misery countered.

"And what if it doesn't?"

The people at the table fell into silence at the suggestion.

"Is it worth a try?" Poe asked.

"We're getting desperate," Iris said, "It just might be. Skull Boy?"

What were they thinking?! Scaring her?! This was insane! This might actually kill her!

"No major scares," Skull Boy insisted, glaring across the table.

"No major scares,"

.-~+*+~-.

Later that night, Ruby slowly opened her red, swollen eyes. She was tired of sleeping. Tired of living. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretching out her weak limbs, her eyes closed. She opened them once more, and froze.

There were shadows all around her. Not meaningless shadows. Gruesome, disgusting, hideous monsters created by those meaningless shadows. Ruby's breath hitched and her heart beat three times as fast. She closed her eyes again and hid her face in the pink down comforter, her heart pounding in her ear drums. When she looked up again, the monster-like shadows hadn't disappeared. If anything, they had moved closer.

Normally, this wouldn't have scared her one bit. Normally, she would be tracing these shadows on her walls with permanent marker. But in her critical state, it scared the hell out of her.

"Go away, go away, go away," she whispered fearfully. She took another peak. The monsters were getting closer and closer to her bed. She wrapped herself in a ball and began shaking. She could feel them crawling up her legs, scratching at her skin.

"Skull Boy!" she screamed, "SKULL BOY!"

The skeleton threw the doors open a second later, "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"The shadows!" she whimpered, "The shadows!"

Skull Boy took a flash light from his pocket and turned it on. Instantly the repulsive shadows disintegrated, drawing away from the light. Skull Boy turned on the flames of the candlelit chandelier above. The shadows were now gone.

He begged it to work as he walked to her bedside and pulled the sugar skull girl into his arms, "You're safe, Ruby," he whispered, "The shadows are gone now, you're okay,"

"I'm sorry I woke you up,"

"I wasn't sleeping anyway. Don't apologize,"

They sat there in each other's arms until Ruby had calmed down. She smiled at him before pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes once more. A moment later she was sound asleep.

Skull Boy tip toed over to her heart shaped window and waved to someone in the distance. A light turned on outside. Iris, Frank, and Len sat on a tree branch, their faces illuminated by a kerosene lamp. He motioned for them to come back inside and walked down to the Great Hall.

"Did it work?" Iris asked.

Skull Boy shrugged, "I'm not sure. We'll have to see when she wakes up."

.-~+*+~-.

He tapped on her door a few hours later and walked inside. She lay in her canopy bed with her eyes open. When she saw him, she groaned and turned over.

"Oh, hallucinations, why won't you leave me alone?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I'd just like to say that I appriciate you being patient with how slow the story is coming. Let me tell you, it's not easy coming up with new ways to get Ruby to stop hallucinating. But the story will end soon, so you won't have to wait any longer.**

**Anyway, thanks again :) R&R!**

* * *

Skull Boy lay in his cushioned coffin, stroking the red velvet walls for comfort. His friends sat above him, their feet dangling over his boned nose. He sighed and sat up to get a better look at them.

"So, what do we do now?"

"I . . . I . . ." Iris began. She sighed, "I have _no_ idea. I _know_ we can fix this. But I don't know how,"

"Hey Skull Boy," Frank addressed, "You and Poe have such a big collection of books. Maybe one of them can tell us how we can help Ruby."

A spark ignited inside the young skeleton. Of course! Why didn't he think of it before?! Half the time Skull Boy was sure he was from a great line of whatever, it had something to do with science. If there was anything Skull Boy was good at, it was research.

"That's a _great_ idea Frank!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his coffin, "Half of us can look in Poe's library and the other half can stay here with me!"

"We'll look here with you, Skull Boy," Len insisted.

"I guess that leaves Misery and I to go look with Poe." Iris suggested, gazing over at Misery. Misery nodded in agreement. The two stood and made their way to the exit.

Poe quickly followed them, "Alright, but be _extremely_ careful. I quite recently arranged the books in alphabetical order, and I would prefer you _not_ to mess them up!"

"Let's start searching." Skull Boy ordered.

He had a small library, but a library all the same. So many books and so little time to search them. One of them had to have a cure.

Book after book was pulled from the shelves, their pages flipped through casually and their words skimmed until they were declared useless and thrown to the floor. The stacks piled high with hard and paper back alike. Hours went by, and still the boys found nothing even remotely useful.

"Find anything?" Skull Boy asked tentatively. It was beginning to look hopeless.

"Not yet," Frank sighed, "I hope we can find something soon though. I'm hungry."

_"How can you think of food at a time like this?"_ Len accused.

"Len, I can't help people on an empty stomach. The sooner I get food in my belly, the better I can help Ruby."

"That's a good idea." Len agreed. He placed a hand on their joined stomach, which was rumbling something terribly, "I'm hungry too."

Skull Boy grumbled under his breath. It was obvious they wouldn't be helpful, "You two go eat. I'll keep looking."

"Okay," Len answered. He looked down at the book he currently held and his pierced eyebrow furrowed. The novel was titled, "The Medical Benefits of Hypnosis,"

"Hey Skull Boy, what about this one?" he waved the book around. Skull Boy approached him and took the book in his boned hands, having the same reaction Len did as he scanned the cover. The wheels in his head began to turn. He'd used hypnosis several times before, but not for medical uses or anything related to it.

But it was worth a shot.

.-+*+-. .-+*+-. .-+*+-.

In the book Len had found, it stated that spontaneous hallucinations occurred in the absence of specific suggestions. All they needed to do was "suggest" to Ruby that Skull Boy was indeed real. And in her weakened state of mind, she should take the suggestion fairly well.

_"You are getting sleeeeeeeeeepy,"_ Frank whispered in Ruby's ear, _"Very, very sleeeeeeeeeeepy."_

Skull Boy rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Frank, that's not how you hypnotize someone,"

"That's how those TV show actors do it,"

"They fake it for the cameras. Now move,"

Skull Boy sat on the edge if Ruby's bed with the others surrounding them. He gently took both her hands in his, "Hi, Ruby,"

She looked up at him with red rimmed eyes, "Hi, Skull Boy hallucination,"

The young skeleton sighed and shook his head before conjuring up the basic hypnosis procedure. The first thing to do was tell her what he was about to do and why and that she will remember the hypnosis clearly, so she could hear the suggestion physically.

"Alright, Ruby, I'm about to hypnotize you, okay? I'm doing this because I'm not a hallucination, even though you see me as one. I want you to see that I really am back."

"Whatever,"

Next he told her to lie down in a comfortable position while reassuring her she will not be doing anything she doesn't want to do while being hypnotized. She didn't seem to care. As she closed her eyes, Skull Boy turned to his friends and nodded. They nodded back, got up, and left the room. Iris dimmed the lights on her way out. This had to be done in solitary silence and slight darkness.

"Go to your happy place, Ruby." he whispered, his voice soothing and tranquil, "Go to a place that makes you feel safe and secure,"

A moment later a small smile appeared on her lips, and a wide one appeared on Skull Boy's.

"Relax," he whispered. Skull Boy timed his hypnotic voice to her breathing, "Let your entire body relax. Feel your chest move with your breathing and imagine all tension leaving it. Feel the softness of the mattress you lay on and feel your back gently sink into it. Feel your legs and feet slowly relax. Feel your arms relax. Feel the stress and tightness in your head float away as you concentrate on relaxing,"

He could feel her grip on his bone hand loosen as she listened to his words.

"You can feel your breathing steady, coming in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can feel a deep, restful peace come over you. As I continue to talk, you will fall deeper and deeper into this heavy relaxation. It will become stronger and stronger, enveloping you, as it carries you into a deep state of peaceful hypnosis."

Her breath steadied to the gently rhythm of his voice. She barely had a hold on his hand. He could see the stress lift from her weak bones and her fragile face. He began to make his suggestions more directive.

"Every word that I say puts you into a quicker and deeper, peaceful state of hypnosis. A quicker and deeper, peaceful state of hypnosis. A quicker and deeper, peaceful state of hypnosis. The deeper you go, the deeper you are able to go. The deeper you go, the deeper you are able to go. And the deeper you go, the deeper you want to go, and the more enjoyable the experience becomes."

Seeing that she was in the inmost state of diversion she could go, he moved on.

"You are now resting comfortably in a deep, peaceful state of sleep, falling faster and deeper until I bring you back up."

And now . . . it was time to make the suggestions that would make everything right again. Skull Boy gulped nervously, clearing his mind and focusing completely on the hypnosis. If there was even a slight bit of hesitation while making the suggestion, it would fail miserably. He gripped her hand a bit tighter, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

"As a result of these suggestions, you will realize that Skull Boy has decided to come back to the mansion and is here to stay. He will no longer be a hallucination to you. You will begin to take care of yourself again and you will return to your original good health. You will become the happiest girl in the world once more."

Skull Boy bit his lip. There was another suggestion he wanted to make. But he was hesitant about it. The suggestion seemed a bit selfish. He decided to go against it and bring her out of the hypnosis.

"Now when I count to five, and then snap my fingers, you will come out of your deep sleep, feeling awake, refreshed, and alert. Ready?" he asked softly, "_One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five_,"

Skull Boy snapped his fingers . . .

And nothing happened.

He gained a confused expression and repeated his conclusion, "Now when I count to five, and then snap my fingers, you will come out of your deep sleep, feeling awake, refreshed, and alert. Ready? _One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five_,"

He snapped his fingers again.

And again nothing happened. Ruby didn't open her eyes. She didn't smile. She didn't exclaim that he was back and wrap her arms around him in a warm hug. She did nothing.

"Ruby?" he asked, shaking her arm gently, "Ruby? Hello, Ruby?"

Ruby groaned and turned onto her side, pulling her hand away from Skull Boy's.

No . . . no way . . . she didn't . . . she wasn't . . .

Yes, she was . . .

_Ruby was asleep. She'd been asleep the whole time._

Skull Boy slapped himself upside the head. The person being hypnotized wasn't supposed to fall asleep! Not literally, anyway. And if she'd been asleep this whole time, it meant the suggestion hadn't taken place.

At this rate, they were never going to get Ruby well again . . .


	15. Chapter 15

Ruby sniffed, feeling slightly painful tears run down her cheeks. She tried to open her eyes. Even the weak light coming from the window hurt her eyes, making her shut them immediately

A knock sounded at her heart-shaped bedroom door.

"Go away," she croaked, burying her pale face in her pillow. A minute later she heard the person sigh and footsteps patter away down the hall.

The people in this house were really starting to get on her nerves. First there was Skull Boy - her imaginary Skull Boy - that came in every day and tried to convince her that he was the real Skull Boy. So not true. The real Skull Boy was off with Skele-T and his skeleton band, having the time of his life perhaps.

Sometimes she wondered if he missed them. Missed her.

Then there were the others. Iris kept trying to get her out of bed and participate in her extremities. Misery forced her ancient crap remedies on her that never worked. Frank and Len played her wild and crazy songs thay made her ears hurt. And Poe came to chat with her, not minding that she would't talk back, and she so wanted to scream at him to shut up.

All Ruby wanted to do was scream. Scream to the high heavens. Her voice, however, was hoarse enough as it was. If she tried to scream, the only thing she was able to manage was a loud whisper.

She was getting really tired of this. Tired of lying around as days, weeks, months passed. How long had she been here like this? Two months now? Whatever. She didn't know or care. She was tired of lying around and tired of living. Ruby wanted to die.

Her eyes snapped open, despite the light burning her. She couldn't believe she just thought that. Really? Did she truly want to die? Cease to exist? Really?

Ruby had a long time to think about that as more days passed. The thought haunted her, pressuring her to simply let go of all hope. She guessed that had been what was keeping her alive all this time. A tiny sliver of hope for something she couldn't place, begging to be kept active. As the days went by, her friends came to visit her. It annoyed her thoroughly that they pretended that Skull Boy was real as well, when he clearly wasn't. Were they trying to make her feel better? It wasn't helping. Their contributions only made her feel like she was crazy.

Maybe she was.

It was a few days later that she got out of bed for the first time in a month. She felt something furry brush underneath her nose that threw her into a sudden sneezing fit. Ruby opened her eyes to see Doom Kitty sitting on her chest. The cat's expression was downcast as she rubbed her head against Ruby's cheek.

"Hey, Doom," Ruby whispered, raising a shaking hand to pet Doom's head, "Still alive,"

Doom closed her eyes and leaned into the petting, but only let Ruby pet her for a moment before she pawed at the covers over her body.

"What is it Doom?" God, her throat felt so dry.

Doom continued to paw at the blankets until Ruby removed them, and then mewed for her to sit up. Ruby's eyes caught a piece of paper on her nightstand. She picked it up, squinting her eyes to read it.

_Ruby,_

_We all went to town and will be back later._

_- Frank and Len_

"Guess it's just you and me," she croaked sadly, "And imaginary Skull Boy, if he decides to show up,"

Doom adopted a hanged off look and mewed.

"Oh, so you think he's real, too? Just like everyone else?" Ruby felt a spark of anger inside her. She made to lay back down, "Fine, I'm going back to sleep,"

Doom shook her head and hopped to the ground, tugging at her red and yellow striped stocking. When Ruby sat up again, Doom curled her tail into an arrow that pointed out of her room. With trembling limbs, the sickly girl took several tries to get off the bed. After a fifteenth try, she was able to manage a wobbly stand, her knees threatening to buckle underneath her. The attempts at this action had caused her to lose much of the energy she couldn't afford to waste, leaving her with a sick feeling in her stomach. Ruby held on to various pieces of furniture to stabilize her as Doom led her out of the bedroom and down the hallways. They steered clear of anything that would overexert Ruby, such as stairs.

"Where are we going?" Ruby rasped.

Doom said nothing as she lead the sickly girl through what Ruby thought were random hallways. Maybe Doom was trying to give her some exercise?

At last, they ended up in the parlor, next to the grand fireplace and the high back chairs. In one of them sat Mr. Mumbles, her next door neighbor. Doom mewed at their entrance and the fun-loving man looked up from the flickering flames. He adopted a worried and shocked expression at the state of Ruby.

"Oh, my dear girl, you don't look well," he tsked.

Unable to think of anything else to do, Ruby simply nodded. Mr. Mumbles stood and helped her into the unoccupied chair, where she collapsed gratefully and curled her aching limbs into a ball.

"You were right to come and get me, Doom Kitty," Mr. Mumbles glanced down at the black cat, "Ms. Ruby is in a very serious state of sickness."


End file.
